The Undisputed Queen of Ice Cream
"Clash of the Cones" winner Rabia Kamara’s plans for expansion include larger shop, mobile branded truck. But she needs your help to get her there.
Anyone obsessively making ice cream for a living immediately jumps to national treasure status in my eyes. That’s how I felt when I first saw Rabia (Ruh-bee-uh) Kamara light up my television screen as a competitor on Food Network’s “Clash of the Cones.”
Splashed in vibrant colors with voluminous, curly hair and an even bigger smile, Kamara was an instant star and frontrunner in the competition that pitted ice cream professionals against one another. During the challenges on the four-episode series sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s in 2021, she certainly brought the flavor, dominating to win the championship and a $20,000 prize.
Kamara won two memorable challenges, which tasked the contestants to create celebrity-inspired flavors. Strawberry Yum Yum, created for famed rapper/actor Ludacris, included ricotta cheesecake ice cream with strawberry swirl combined with strawberry ice cream, Oreo crust and an Oreo chunk.
Another favorite from the show, Bacon’s Bananas for Chocolate for actor Kevin Bacon, was made with banana ice cream, Reese’s-loaded fudge brownies, dark chocolate covered almonds, malt balls and peanut butter tequila caramel.
For those who know Kamara, her big win came as no surprise. The fierce competitor’s obsession with ice cream began when she was a child and continues as her professional trade of eight years. She owns the Ruby Scoops frozen treat shop in Richmond, Virginia, and her immediate plans for expansion include a 4,000-square-foot store and branded mobile truck.
Construction for the spacious new location, situated only a couple of blocks away from the original, 60-square-foot space, is well underway. Here, she’ll have a full production kitchen so that she can be even more creative with flavors. It’s the truck, however, that’s been challenging, which is why she recently launched an online fundraiser to help reach her goals of “going mobile.”
She writes: “[The truck is] already the perfect color, but needs mechanical and exterior work, including signage and more ahead of its inaugural season. As with the beginning of our story, the possibility of our future is one that has always included community, and we sincerely thank you for allowing us to make Black and women history every day. We are asking our community for support to help bring this opportunity into a reality by raising a minimum of $6,000.”
Thus far, she’s raised almost $5,600 through social media, word-of-mouth promotion and targeted newsletter outreach. Her aim is to use the truck, which she acquired from Black Dog Gelato owner Jessica Oloroso, as a marketing tool to spread brand awareness through the Washington D.C./Maryland/Virginia (DMV) community.
Oloroso was one of five dessert experts who competed against Kamara during “Clash of the Cones,” and the two women remained friends after the show. Once Oloroso, who lives in Chicago, sold her truck to Kamara, she drove it from the Windy City to Richmond. It was an opportunity for both women to bond again over ice cream, the hot DMV dining scene and the endless possibilities with the new mobile concept.
“The food truck will bridge the two [Ruby Scoops concepts],” Kamara explains. “We’ve been lugging around coolers and freezers and tents and trailers going on eight years, and though it’s been great to even have that option, it’ll be even better pulling up in a truck that has that brand continuity.”
How it all began
Part of that unique brand is Kamara skillfully using her sophisticated, global palate to introduce new flavors to customers. Her father is from Sierra Leone and her maternal grandmother—whose parents were Turkish and Sudanese—is from Egypt. Her maternal grandfather is Mauritius and his family is from India. She grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, in what she calls a culturally diverse place where most of her friends were also children of immigrants. For example, she grew up around pan-Asian, Caribbean and pan-African flavors. “These flavors were very normal for me, but may not be for most people,” she explains.
In culinary school, Kamara quickly rose as “The Dessert Queen,” winning every challenge once she learned the basics of ice-cream creation. That’s when she realized that she could turn her passion into a lucrative business that not only brought people joy, but also a platform where she could educate customers about other cultures.
“Something clicked in my brain because I know ice cream is milk, sugar, cream, but because it freezes in scoops, anything can be ice cream,” she says. “Any time I got a chance to use the little ice cream machine at school, I would jump at the opportunity.” She made sorbets and ice creams in offbeat flavors like rhubarb, piña colada and black sesame and continued that trend once she opened shop.
“With ice cream, you get a little bit more flexibility [than pastry baking], and it gave me space to introduce people to flavors I grew up with and knew very well in a medium that they feel comfortable receiving,” Kamara explains.
In addition to black sesame, she’s developed ice-cream flavors like strawberry sweet red bean; cardamom with blueberry; rosewater with vanilla; and mango with tamarind, in a sorbet. In the past, she’s also paid homage to Black History Month with a chocolate-covered potato chip ice cream. That’s to give props to George Crum, widely known as the inventor of the potato chip. Strawberry Yum Yum—the Ludacris tribute flavor—remains an all-time fan favorite. Her concept clearly embraces the culture as it offers a safe space for all who need it.
A sweet and safe space for all
“It was very important for our space to be intentionally safe, not just for people of color but also for many in the queer community,” Kamara says. “There’s been so many decades and nearly centuries of not being able to be your true Black or brown self in public and having to be scared of how people will react or retaliate or treat you.
“I want people to be able to come into the shop with their significant other or whomever and have some ice cream and truly feel welcome [in this space]. It was also important for me to see a lot Black representation in the shop.”
Throughout the intimate space, Kamara has strategically placed images of Black and Latino people eating ice cream. From her niece to models to even herself in a six-foot mural welcoming guests inside, the artwork feels like an eclectic gathering spot. The bright pink space feels cheery as they indulge in ice-cream scoops, cups, cones, milkshakes, floats, as well as kombucha slushes, ice-cream sundaes, ice-cream flights, made-to-order ice-cream sandwiches and pints. She also offers a variety of dairy-free frozen treats.
“It is important for me that it is fun and warm and safe,” she emphasizes. “I feel like a lot of ice cream shops miss the point of how fun ice cream should be. They feel a little cold and sterile, and I want people to feel like this is home and they can stay for a while and eat their ice cream.”
Kamara is looking forward to transforming the new 4,000-square-foot space into her vision of warmth and love. Here’s where you can make a donation for her mobile ice cream concept, which also aims to extend that vibe with an experience that’s all inclusive.
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Au revoir!
Great article!